Barcelona Kicks Off La Liga Title Defense with Win Over Mallorca
(MENAFN) FC Barcelona kicked off their La Liga title defense with a commanding yet contentious 3-0 victory on the road against Mallorca. The match was effectively decided by halftime as Barca raced to a two-goal lead.
Raphinha opened the scoring early, converting a precise cross from Lamine Yamal in the 7th minute. Fermin Lopez then doubled the advantage in the 23rd minute, but the goal sparked outrage from Mallorca’s players. The home side protested as play continued while defender Antonio Raillo lay injured on the ground after clearing a cross into Barca’s box. Lopez netted the goal during this controversial moment.
Mallorca’s frustration boiled over when Manu Morales received a booking for dissent and, just ten minutes later, was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Yamal, reducing the hosts to ten men.
The situation worsened for Mallorca in the 39th minute when Vedat Muriqi was issued a direct red card after a VAR review confirmed his reckless high challenge on Barca goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who had been officially registered before kickoff alongside Marcus Rashford.
Tempers flared again just before halftime when Raphinha was only cautioned with a yellow card for a late challenge, leaving Mallorca further incensed.
In the second half, Barcelona maintained possession, while Mallorca, down to nine men, defended resolutely with goalkeeper Leo Roman making several impressive saves. The home team held firm until stoppage time, when Yamal skillfully maneuvered past two fatigued defenders to curl a shot into the top corner in the 94th minute, sealing the 3-0 result.
Elsewhere, Rayo Vallecano launched their season with a 3-1 away victory over Girona. Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga endured a disastrous first half marked by two costly mistakes and a red card in the 43rd minute. Rayo took full advantage, leading 3-0 at halftime and managing to hold on despite Girona’s numerical disadvantage.
Oviedo’s long-awaited La Liga return was less successful, falling 2-0 at Villarreal. The visitors were hampered early when Alberto Reina was sent off in the 27th minute after picking up two yellow cards. Villarreal capitalized with goals from Etta Eyong and Pape Gueye before the break to secure the win.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
